The Arava Institute has established the Jordan River and Dead Sea Basin Forum (JAD) a network of water professionals and policy makers throughout the region.

One of the Center for Transboundary Water Management’s main areas of focus is the Dead Sea. The Dead Sea is declining at an alarming rate of one meter and more per year. The reasons for this decline are many but mostly due to the diversion of the source of freshwater to the Dead Sea via the Jordan River by Israel, Jordan and Syria. These countries are using the freshwater that would normally flow to the Dead Sea for domestic and agricultural purposes.

The Arava Institute is currently working on research to try and prevent Dead Sea destruction.

Arava Institute researchers were contracted by the World Bank to participate in a feasibility study of a Red Sea – Dead Sea conveyance. The Arava Institute conducted an environmental impact assessment of the proposed conveyance route on the ecology of the Arava valley. For more information about the World Bank’s feasibility study and the recent announcement by Israel, Palestine and Jordan to move forward with a pilot project pleaseclick here.

A pre-feasibility study, sponsored by Willner Bros. Ltd. and written by Arava Institute researchers provides a comprehensive summary of previous research done on the Mediterranean-Dead Sea conveyance. It describes four different potential Med-Dead solutions from a historical, economic, engineering, environmental and political perspective. The researchers highlight the potential for the Med-Dead conveyance to contribute to water security, energy security, and food security in the region, factors which have implications for regional cooperation between Israel, Jordan, and the Palestinian territories. A copy of the report can be found below.